Legacy
by crewmember6
Summary: Elonda tries to pave her own path as she travels to escape the pressures of her family legacy.
1. A Hero Awakens

A Hero Awakens

Unlike many before her, Elonda had chosen the path she took. "My fate is my own to decide; my destiny ruled by my will," she preached and lunged at the practice elemental before her. Sweat dripped down her face as the unrelenting heat of the summer sun beat on her brow. "Again," sounded Rolith, and the clash of steel rang across the training grounds. "Again." _Clang!_ "Again." _Shring!_ "Again." _Crash!_

There had always been a need for warriors in Lore, but the rise in monster activity brought in more demand - and more recruits. Tales of villages and towns leveled by stampeding horrors often circulated the tight groups of new fighters, some more gruesome than others. Elonda had lived through her fair share before arriving at Oaklore Keep, her stories no different from the rest. Stripped of her home and comforts, Elonda knew what it meant to work for what was regained.

The once prestigious name of her family had been slathered with the muck of iniquitous rumors, for after the town beneath their watch was torn apart before their eyes, survivors, driven mad by the force that had taken them, told defamations of protectors inept, unwilling to rise for the cries of their charge.

Defeated, Elonda and her family trudged across the lands of Lore as nameless wanderers - sellswords to those who paid, extra help for those who couldn't. Having scavenged enough to purchase stability, they made a home of the forests surrounding Oaklore Keep, and the family resumed their practices.

Each of her older sisters joined the ranks of warriors trained by Captain Rolith, and each were named heroes of the Keep.

"I vow," said Meganna, "to bring honor back to our name." And she did, single handedly defeating Darcar, head of the bandit guild that plagued the lands around Oaklore.

"I vow," said Emilia, "to uphold the birthright bestowed upon me." And she did, overcoming the Hydra that besieged the shores of the Keep.

"I vow," said Kristae, "to continue the traditions of my family." And she did, heading the defence against the undead that threatened to take Oaklore.

Though noble were their aspirations to which they held true, Elonda did not share the ideals of her sisters.

"My fate is my own to decide," she repeated, hacking at the training elemental once again. Born fourth out of five children, Elonda had no wish to usurp her older siblings, nor set a new standard for her younger. Although set in her way, she had no knowledge of how to continue when her training was complete.

"Rest!" commanded Rolith, and sighs of relief echoed across the field as the trainees dropped their weapons and collapsed to the ground. Elonda bent over her sword and closed her eyes, letting the breeze dry the sweat from her face. A shadow fell across her as the familiar clatter of armor came to a stop. She looked up to see Rolith, backlit by the afternoon sun, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Every day, you improved," he observed, "and every day, you grew stronger. Though you've yet to reach the peak of your abilities, you have reached the end of your training with me as your captain."

Elonda stood up, staring at Rolith in shock. "Sir, I-"

The captain shook his head and held up his hand. "Tonight, Elonda, be named Warrior and fight for the honor of your king; fight to continue the legacy of your family."

Her shoulders fell and she looked to the ground.

"Be confident," said Rolith, putting an armored hand on her shoulder. "The burden you bear is heavy, I know, but I'm sure the feat you accomplish will be just as great as your sisters' before you."

She looked up, gave a weak smile and nodded. "Thanks, Captain."

He smiled back, lingering for just a moment longer before turning away.

That evening, Elonda Cadimas was named Warrior.

Seated in the place of honor at her father's side, she recited the words of her sisters' vows internally, preparing herself to announce her own promise to carry the legacy of her family name.

King Alteon stood up, arms outstretched to quiet the dinner conversations. Silverware clinked on plates as the hall fell silent. "Tonight," he announced, his voice booming over the guests, "we feasted in the honor of those who successfully endured Captain Rolith's training. Please, new heroes of Oaklore Keep, rise and make your vows as official Warriors!"

Applause greeted the few that stood spread throughout the tables by the king. Vows of loyalty and courage and protection and honor echoed through the hall, each followed by cheering and claps of approval with low rumbles of conversations in between, until only Elonda was left standing. A heavy blanket of silent anticipation settled over the guests, whispers skittering across tables like mice.

Elonda inhaled deeply, pulling her shoulders back and raising her chin. "I vow," she began, "to-to…." she choked. "To continue-"

She could feel jeering thoughts behind the mocking eyes that watched her stumble to find words. In that moment, she remembered the vows of her sisters - each a promise to uphold their birthright. She remembered Rolith's words, _Fight to continue the legacy of your family._ She remembered the crippling responsibility of her name and the debilitating fall as it was dragged through mud.

Elonda closed her eyes and opened them again, her face set in fierce confidence as she confronted those who doubted her. "I vow," she thundered with a newfound conviction, "to decide my own fate, and to rule my own destiny by the strength of my will!" she shouted, slamming her fist on the table.

Shock silenced cynical whispers for the breadth of a few moments before the hall erupted with applause, and Elonda took her seat as both a sense of pride and dread washed over her. She didn't need to look over to know her father's disappointment - she could feel it emanating from him like a sickness.

"Why should I continue a legacy that has already been fulfilled by my older sisters?!" she argued after her siblings had gone to their rooms.

"A legacy of heroes?" her mother retorted. "Do you not want that? To come from a family known for courage and valor and bravery in the face of the greatest adversities? Explain this to me, child, because I cannot understand the purpose of your disgraceful display this evening."

"I just want to make a legacy of _my_ name," she replied, her voice quiet. "I don't want to be known as a daughter who only carried on family traditions, however great the deeds."

"Do you wish to forsake your birthright, then?" Her father stepped into the room.

"No, I-"

"Do you wish to abandon all that we have worked for?" he boomed. "All that we struggled to achieve? Do you-"

"I don't want to continue the patrimony of my family!" she yelled back at him. "I want to bring honor to _my own name_!"

Her father looked down on her, his eyes like burning coals and his anger as palpable as smoke, while her mother stared in shock from across the room.

"Leave," he growled, his voice low like the rumble of thunder. "Leave your honor and your name, for I will have none of this talk from a child of mine," he spat, turning away.

A crippling sense of dread came over her, sobering her anger. "Dad-"

"LEAVE!" he bellowed, refusing to look back at her.

Elonda slowly brought herself upright and glared at the back of her father's head. "Fine," she spat. "Know me as Elonda of Lore, then, Alastor Cadimus, and you can keep your name untainted."

After furiously gathering her things, Elonda took one last look at the home they had made. Memories of times long passed appeared before her mind's eye - their fall, their struggle, and their resurrection as they made a reputation for themselves in Oaklore Keep.

"My family is _not_ my identity," she spat, fuming that she was fighting back tears as she turned away from all that she loved.


	2. Dragon Tamer

Dragon Tamer

The night was cold and unforgiving as Elonda trudged through the forests of Oaklore Keep. Wind whispered through ancient trees, carrying stories of wolves and wild things hidden in hills beyond. Though time spent without shelter had aided in her adjustment to the elements, a fear of things unseen still stirred restlessly in the pit of her stomach. The night stretched on as she fell to a fitful sleep by the fire she intermittently awakened to feed.

Morning came in a blessed relief as dawn broke through the canopy. Eager to be on her way, Elonda packed her things and headed uphill for a better view of the direction she would take next.

The efforts of her climb were rewarded with a breathtaking view as the mountains and forests unfolded before her. The crisp morning air lifted her spirits, calling her to adventure. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with vigor as a wind rushed up to greet her.

"Today, I begin my own story by my own hand," she exhaled. "Today, I embark as Elonda of Lore!"

A great shadow raced over her, followed by a powerful gust of wind as she turned to head downhill. "What-" she began as she looked up. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest, for what she saw, she never expected to see in her lifetime. A great dragon with crimson scales like fresh-drawn blood and wings of golden silk circled above her, diving down to the clearing below the cliff on which she stood. Its long, twisted horns shone like polished black onyx on its great head as it raised to watch her, eyes burning white, piercing into her soul.

Frozen in terror, Elonda could not help but simply stand, gaping at the great beast while it contemplated its next meal. Much to her surprise, however, the dragon lowered its head to reveal a priestess cloaked in white robes lined with gold, her hood drawn low over her face as she clutched a black and gold chest.

"The path is clear, Lady Celestia," squeaked a small moglin next to her as he stepped forward.

As graceful as a deer, the priestess stepped off the dragon, bowing and whispering in an ancient language as she touched her forehead to the dragon's muzzle. A low, throaty rumble came from the dragon, as if in reply, before it spread its wings and took off.

"You may lower your weapon, Warrior, we are simply passing through" the priestess informed as they walked past her. Elonda quickly sheathed her sword, not realizing she had drawn it.

"Apologies, m'lady," was all she could reply as she watched their descent until they vanished into the forest. _Odd_ , she thought. _A priestess traveling with only a moglin for protection in these woods…._

A breeze gently pushed Elonda forward, urging her to follow the dragon tamer and companion. Not more than five minutes later, a scream pierced through the forest followed by the unmistakable roar of a gorrilaphant. Before she even had time to think, Elonda found herself sprinting after the woman's cries and the sounds of the raging beast. Boring through to a clearing, she saw the moglin unconscious beneath a tree as Lady Celestia struggled to untangle her robes while the gorrilaphant advanced. Sword unsheathed, Elonda lunged forward and slashed at the animal, yelling to turn its attention to her.

With a great bellow the beast whirled around to Elonda and charged. Leaping out of the way and rolling back to her feet, she dashed toward it, sword glinting in the sunlight as it raised its arms for a final blow. In one, swift movement, she vaulted underneath it, spinning to bring her sword through its vulnerable stomach. Landing as a bloodied mess on the other side, Elonda stood as the gorrilaphant collapsed behind her.

"Are you alright?" she asked, turning to find the moglin and the priestess strangely calm after such an event.

"Yes, thanks to you," Lady Celestia replied with a grateful smile. "May I know your name, Warrior?"

"Elonda," she said as she sheathed her sword. "Elonda of Lore, m'lady."

"So it _is_ her…" the moglin whispered before a glance from the priestess silenced him.

"Alas, Elonda of Lore, if I may ask a favor of you," offered the priestess as she handed a small bag to her. "Please let Captain Rolith know I am unharmed, and will be traveling a shorter road to my home."

"You'll need an escort, priestess," she countered, looking around the forest. "To where are you-"

But the priestess and moglin had vanished.

Elonda searched the surrounding trees in a panic, looking for any sign of where the lady and moglin might have gone, only to find no trace that they had ever been there. Puzzled, she looked at the pouch she had clutched in her hand. An engraving decorated the front of it, simple lines curving to the shape of a dragon's head, while on the back was written something in a language Elonda did not recognize.

 _She wanted me to follow her,_ she realized, and tucked the pouch beneath her armor - the only evidence that her encounter with the priestess wasn't just an illusion.

After retrieving her things, Elonda headed back to Oaklore Keep, requesting an audience with Captain Rolith after arriving. Whispers of gossip swirled around her as onlookers and passers by gawked at the blood spattered hero while she waited for Rolith.

Finally the great doors on the meeting room of the Knights of the Pentagonal Table opened, and Elonda stepped aside to allow the men to vacate the room.

"Enter," came Rolith's voice.

"Dear gods, what happened?!" he exclaimed as she walked in.

"Captain, I have come to deliver a message," she said, waving off his concern as she stood across from him. "The woman I saved requested it of me before vanishing."

Captain Rolith looked at her, brows furrowed in confusion. "Continue," he warranted and placed his elbows on the table, his fingers laced has he brought his face to them.

Elonda took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "The lady wants you to know that she is unharmed and will be taking a shorter route to her destination, wherever that may be."

"Who is this woman and how did your paths cross?" he asked.

Elonda swallowed before answering. "She descended the skies on the back of a dragon, sir. I believe her name was-"

"Lady Celestia," he breathed, finishing her explanation before looking back up at her in panic, his eyes flicking from the blood on her armor to her face. "What happened? Where is she now?!"

"I-I don't know, Captain," Elonda replied, unsettled by his sudden panic. "A gorrilaphant attacked and I defeated it, though I'm not entirely sure she needed saving," she added pensively.

Captain Rolith stood up, slamming his fist on the table. "Why didn't you escort her?!" he thundered.

"I tried, sir, but she-"

"This is unacceptable, Elonda!" he shouted. "Though your sister defeated Darcar, bandits and thieves still roam the woods! Not to mention the obvious threat monsters still hold! Lady Celestia-"

"Vanished!" she yelled back at him. Rolith stood in a shocked silence as she continued. "Before I could insist on accompanying her, she disappeared without any trace."

The Captain exhaled, closing his eyes as his jaw tightened. "Find her."

"Sir, I believe she's more than capable-"

"Find. Her," he growled, "and escort her to Sunbreeze Grove."

Elonda stood for a moment, swallowing hard before nodding. "Sir," she said and turned to leave.

Once outside the Keep's walls, Elonda closed her eyes and listened to the wind blow the leaves in the trees around her, goading the Warrior to a steady pace in the direction of Sunbreeze Grove.


	3. The Bandit Lord

The Bandit Lord

The road she trekked was nearly void of travelers, nature all but re-consuming what had been paved through. The day was nice enough as intermittent clouds shielded her from the onslaught of the summer heat, and a cool breeze spoke of the coming autumn changes. Elonda's thoughts wandered to the pouch the priestess had given her; to the dragon's head emblem and the arcane writing on the back. She still had yet to open it, though a tugging in her chest told her the time wasn't yet right.

Voices in the distance interrupted her thoughts.

"-no one here to help you, priestess," a man threatened as Elonda snuck behind the veil of the forest, quietly stepping toward the voice. "No one to hear you scream." The man caressed Lady Celestia's cheek, who yanked her face away in kind while another man held her wrists behind her. They and a third man laughed menacingly at her struggle.

 _Go_ , the wind whispered

"On the contrary," Elonda announced, striding out of the forest with her hand on the hilt of her sword. "You'll find this road not as vacant as you'd prefer." She stopped a few feet from the men. "Release the priestess," she demanded, her voice threatening.

The men turned to her in surprise. "Oh?" replied one of them, disregarding her request. His was the voice that threatened the priestess. Though clad in the sparse armor of a bandit, the deep violet cape that draped across his shoulders revealed him to be the leader. He drew his sword from its sheath, setting it on his shoulder and leisurely stepping forward. "And the name of my new challenger would be-"

"Yours to know upon your defeat," Elonda interrupted, drawing her weapon.

"A pity, then, as you _will_ know mine upon yours," he replied, grinning wolfishly as he brought his sword down. "Stand down, peasant, or be blown away by the winds of my great destiny!"

Elonda glared at the man, her teeth grinding at his insults. "Let. The priestess. Go," she commanded darkly as her grip tightened on her sword.

The forest hushed in anticipation as a cloud passed before the sun, casting a dark shadow over the two figures posed to fight. Even the breeze paused as if holding its breath.

"HAA!" yelled the man as he launched forward, the clash of their swords resonating through the woods.

Elonda pushed forward, taking advantage of the uneven ground on which they fought to throw him off balance, her sword whistling through the air. Her onslaught did not falter until he stumbled to the ground.

Pointing her sword at his chest, her breath came fast as she stood above him. "Order your men to release the priestess," she commanded.

The man looked up at her, anger flashing in his eyes. "My apologies, but she is still of use to me," he quipped and threw his hand at her sword, slinging sand at her face and leaping to his feet.

"Gah!" Elonda staggered back as she spat dust from her mouth and rubbed the dirt from her eyes, just raising her sword in time to counter the swings coming from the bandit leader. Each blow pushed her back and she felt her own strategy being used against her as she struggled against the stinging in her eyes. Disoriented and failing to block his attacks, a misstep lead the ground to meet her.

"Well well, hero," the man rumbled above her, his breath labored. He kicked away her sword and put his boot on her chest. "You almost beat me." He paused and kneeled down closer, his weight crushing her until she coughed against it. "Almost." He stood up, keeping his boot on her chest, though her lungs welcomed air as the weight lightened. "A pity you won't live to see my reign when I regain my rightful place on the throne as King Drakath!" he shouted. His eyes flicked away and paused, looking into someplace beyond them. "All I need is for that _witch_ to relinquish the black dragon box and give me the key to unlocking it," he muttered distractedly.

Seizing the opportunity gifted to her, Elonda shoved his boot off of her and rolled away as he fell to the ground. She grabbed her sword and whirled around to see Drakath getting up, the look of death in his eye as he roared and lunged for her.

His attacks came in a fury of strokes so quick the ringing of their clashing swords was almost constant. Though fast and hard his attacks came, his form was getting sloppy and Elonda easily blocked and parried his sword.

A wrathful bellow escaped his lungs and he hurtled forward, thrusting out his weapon. Elonda raised her sword to parry his blow and sidestepped, twirling around and slashing through the violet cape and tunic to his back.

"Agh!" he cried and turned to face her again, wildly slashing at her. Again and again, Elonda parried and dodged his attacks until she stepped closer, bringing the hilt of her sword close to his, stopping his onslaught.

His breathing was heavy and his sword quivered against hers as exhaustion began to take its hold, but his eyes still burned furiously as he glared at her in their locked position. In one swift motion, Elonda turned their blades down, twisting her sword to the inside of his and forcing it from his hands.

"Impossible!" he yelled after she disarmed him, and he fell to his knees. Elonda halted, her weapon aimed at his throat. The eyes of the two men holding the priestess widened before releasing their prisoner, quickly abandoning Drakath in his defeat.

Kicking away his sword, she sheathed her own. "I am not a killer," she spoke, looking down on him as he pressed his wounds. "Though your words to the priestess are worthy of a hanging."

"Who _are_ you?" he asked bitterly.

"I am Elonda of Lore," she replied. "Know my name, Drakath, and do well to respect it, lest it haunt you for the rest of your avarice-driven life."

"Making an enemy of me is unwise, Warrior," he spat, glaring up at her as she turned away from him. "I _will_ remember your name."

Disregarding his words, Elonda looked over to see Lady Celestia in a panic, frantically searching the woods around them. "Warrior!" the priestess cried. "The chest is gone!"

Elonda briefly recalled the black box the priestess was carrying upon their first encounter, whirling back to Drakath, only to find he had disappeared.

"Drakath…" she spat darkly.

"Valencia is gone on her own quest for answers," Celestia thought aloud before looking back to Elonda. "Find Robina. She is among the best at tracking, and will be able to help you find the black dragon chest."

"Yes, m'lady, but I as am under orders, I must first escort you to Sunbreeze Grove," Elonda replied earnestly.

Lady Celestia gave her a sly smile. "I've no need for an escort, Warrior," she confessed. "Though the sentiment is appreciated, your loyalty shall be rewarded." The priestess closed her eyes and spoke a few words in a language that emanated magic. A gentle light began to surround her, slowly growing more and more intense.

All the Warrior could do was gape at the priestess as she began to disappear before her.

"Elonda," she began, her voice fading alongside her. "You must find the black dragon chest before it falls into the grasp of evil."

"Wait!" she cried, shaking loose her stupor. "Where is Robina?!"

"-to Falconreach-" Her words dissipated with the wind, leaving Elonda with only the vaguest of ideas of how to find this Robina.

"To Falconreach, then," she sighed and trudged back along the road to Oaklore Keep.


End file.
